The Waltz of my Serpent
Adam Eagleton (Chanadon Publications) 372pp

(Published in The London Miscellany, June 2008)

This first novel is printed on light-green paper, which gives an indication of the decadent theme of the text. Bizarre and amusing vignettes lead us into the London world of James Blotnitz, heir and working partner in a prestigious literary agency. His family world, and its well-drawn grotesque characters, are reminiscent of the Addams family relocated to 'Mayfairville' today. Lord Middlemass, one of the minor characters, is described as representing 'the aristocracy of Rome at its most debauched' and this also suggests the atmosphere of the novel.
The story veers between solidly rendered scenes to nightmarish reflections in the 'Hells Bells club', where the boundaries between internal and external worlds are blurred by the stream-of-consciousness narrative. Recollections of the violence at James's boarding-school are described with gusto. The author's perspective is often suitably weird, funny or frightening. It is also very English in its expression, in that the surreal mode is used in a phantasmagoric and ironic manner - but without much sense of a political critique of the society it is describing - which was one of the motivating factors of the original French surrealist movement.
The strength of the novel is its distinctive voice: although the story sags in the middle, it never loses its sense of theatrical exuberance. For example, 'The mittel-European' accent of James's Austrian father is an excellent comic prop in rendering his point of view: 'Ja, mein poppet! We sack the chauffeur?' Just as the accent does 'not ring quite true', so the less than honest characters gain in force because their flawed and corrupt personalities are so closely allied to their dialogue. They are like actors on a stage, quarrelling, lusting, plotting and sparring - who are exposed through their discussions. However, the narrative voice is also the weakness of the text because it is indulgent. Criticizing James, a friend tells him, 'You talk too much!' The Waltz of my Serpent is long and sometimes verbose. The dysfunctional Blotnitz family are the heart of the story and they should have been developed more fully. Instead, the minor characters are given too much dialogue and we lose sight of the central plot. The novel is written from James's perspective, and also from the viewpoints of two of his friends, who find his papers after his demise. This structure could have been used more effectively in controlling the excesses of James's revelations, and in giving a clearer account of what was going on.
Despite these criticisms, the author has great potential as a comic novelist. This is a fresh work, politically incorrect, anarchic, daring in its conception. If you want to read something different, try this.